Sen. Leatherman was the governor’s high profile target, but even her popularity among Republican voters couldn’t derail his campaign for a 10th term. The 85-year-old senator is still strong in his Florence district, which he won with 54 percent of the vote, against two challengers.

The governor complained about pork-barrel spending in his district, but apparently the county’s voters are more than happy for Sen. Leatherman to continue his work. He has used his considerable influence on behalf of road projects, higher education and economic development in his district.…

The governor can talk about her agenda for South Carolina, but in this legislatively controlled state, she is severely limited in her ability to enact it. Her opposition to Sen. Leatherman says her leadership options have become even more limited.

Naturally, it’s troubling to the governor to see a single legislator serving as the most powerful politician in the state. After all, Mrs. Haley was elected statewide as South Carolina’s chief executive.

And who picked Mr. Leatherman for his overarching position of power? He was elected by 5,942 Republicans in the recent primary. And he is unopposed in November’s general election.

Moped safety

The Republican governor said the legislation is government overreach, specifically the requirement that reflective vests be worn for nighttime driving and helmets be worn by those under age 21.

In a veto letter to the General Assembly, Haley said the restrictions for mopeds would exceed those for motorcycle drivers, although existing law does require helmets for bikers under age 21. People over 18 “should decide for themselves what they should wear for their personal safety,” she wrote. …

Fifty people died on mopeds in South Carolina in 2015, more than double the number from just two years before in 2013. Already in 2016, 16 moped drivers and/or passengers have died.

If mopeds increasingly are going to be a reality of the road, there must be sensible regulations. When they return to Columbia in January, lawmakers should move swiftly to reintroduce the moped legislation and work with the governor to determine what it will take to get her signature.

Campaign litter

It is our hope — and the hope of a good many residents — that candidates will move quickly to tidy up after themselves by removing the campaign signs that dot the landscape. Some have already become litter, having been knocked over by passing motorists or whacked by a road crew trying to mow the public right-of-way along the roadsides. Many, however, remain standing as relics of the primary elections.

Summer has officially arrived and people will be spending more and more time outdoors. It is bad enough to witness just how much roadside litter increases this time of year, along with the tall grass and weeds that grow tall, no matter the amount of rainfall. But campaigns should not relegate their cleanup duties to the volunteers who regularly scour the roadsides cleaning up after the inconsiderate people who toss their trash and cigarettes out of car windows. Nor should they be left to become lawnmower mulch beneath a DOT mower blade.

Leaving the signs, especially after an election is lost, is just poor sportsmanship. And doing so likely gives voters a bad impression. They might well remember the signs left behind when and if a candidate resurfaces in another election cycle.

We urge candidates to once again enlist the troops who helped them stick signs into the ground at busy intersections to busy themselves once again and collect those signs and dispose of them properly.